Attn:NAD & other bassists :)

[Russell]

I'm considering getting this bass:

http://www.music123.com/Yamaha-RBX775-5String-Bass-Guitar-i83346.music

Thoughts? Seriously, any advice would be good, even if I do end up ignoring it

 

[Hell Mike]

My general philosophy on instruments and such is this: As long as it's noisy and within my price range (i e DIRT CHEAP) it's good.
I generally see Yamaha as an ok though not great or even good brand, though, but my general rule still applies+that looks like a nice piece of demolition.
I've got an Ibanez GT bass and a Yahama (something cheap) guitar.

 

[Russell]

Cheers! I've emailed around a few bassists I know, and most of them said that quality was pretty closely related to price. Yamaha got several pretty good recommendations, hence me going for it

I know absolutely fuck all about guitar makes or anything like that, I just play the things

 

[NAD]

Been trying to post this for 10 minutes, fuckin' UM server...

Well, Yamaha makes decent instruments and the thing is actually made out of real wood (alder is good, my Fender P is alder and has held up beautifully over the years). The only thing I would be concerned over are the active electronics on an entry level bass. Generally that spells SHITE TONE, but I haven't actually played that bass so I don't know for sure. The humbuckers, if good, will probably help out but like any other inexpensive product, less shit to go wrong is better. Look into Washburn and Ibanez basses of similar pricing for comparison shopping, if you want to. The only problem with these brands (particularly Ibanez) is their faceless sound. You don't really get a distinctive tone out of them like you would say a Fender, Ernie Ball, Spector, Alembic, or Warwick. Those 5 have very distinctive tones that don't blend in with everything else. They're also rather expensive (not counting entry level Fenders which resemble their expensive cousins in looks only).

However, for the price, brand, humbuckers, and materials, it seems like a good deal. Personally I don't like 5-strings, but that's just preference.

 

[NAD]

My next bass (if / when I get another one) will be a blonde Jazz bass with a maple neck, similar to this one:

This exact bass ('75 replica) was $800 when it came out 5 years ago, now it's $1,500. Shoulda bought one back then.

 

[Russell]

So, dude, explain to me what the active electronics actually do? Like I said, I know fuck all I think one of the ones I looked up you could turn the active electronics off, would that be better?

And is it actually entry level? It is reduced from $850, which I would have thought was more mid-range. It's only so cheap because it's being discontinued

 

[Russell]

You're right avout the server :gah: Erik beat me to it!

 

[NAD]

Would you really call a $849 list price bass "entry-level" though?

Since it's selling for under $400 yeah, but if the reason for the massive discount is because it's last years model then probably not. There's always the chance that they jacked up the list price to make it seem like a better deal though.

 

[NAD]

Ehh... the thing is list price means squat really, since you never pay that price. It's just a fancy MSRP number to make dealers fool you into believing you're getting a good (or better) deal. I wouldn't consier it a mid-range bass until you got into above $1,000 MSRP, which translates to a $600 - $700 bass usually.

Oh yeah, check these blokes out if you're getting serious, they are in the states but if they ship overseas, you'll never find a better deal: http://www.bassnw.com Either way, you can check to see if you're getting ripped off by someone.

 

[NAD]

Oh yeah, active electronics:

Basically, an active EQ means you can cut or boost certain frequencies (bass, mid, treble, etc.) and the output is "hotter" (louder). Passive electronics means you can't boost the volume, and generally just come with a basic bass/treble knob, with no db boost. Personally I prefer passive, and even though the active electronics on my Ernie Ball are nice, even they get touchy (mind you this is on a nearly high end bass).

 

[Russell]

Thanks for that information.

Haha, nah seriously, cheers dude. I'm gonna go and try and find a shop round here that has one so I can play it before buying it

 

[Russell]

Make that dudes

 

[NAD]

List price DOES mean slightly more than squat; it means that a bass with a list price of $850 is likely plenty better than one with a list price of $400-500 (which is what I'D consider entry-level,) no matter if you'll ever pay that price or not.

Then you have to factor in who the company is, and how they determine how to set their MSRP. Also I wouldn't consider more $$$ to equate better necessarily, the best guitar amp I've ever heard cost $300 and only had 5 watts of power. If you are comparing two instruments from the same manufacturer though, then yes it's easy to compare, but some companies just make better instruments for less cash.

Ever play a Parker Fly guitar? Fawkin' things go for $2000 or more, but I'd take an $800 Fender any day of the week over one.

 

[NAD]

Active electronics also probably mean you need to put an insanely gay 9V battery in your instrument that's sure to run out just when you're about to perform in front of 10 000 people.

Yep. Some instruments take 2 9V batteries even. Besides the obvious BRING SPARE BATTERIES (I always have several in my case), another thing to consider is the ease of changing the batteries. My Ernie Ball has an angled clicky thingy that you can change the battery out in seconds, but some require you to remove the entire back panel and fiddle with the wiring. This could eat up 20 minutes of your 35 minute set, and get you kicked out of the band.

 

[NAD]

That just screams church band.

 

[NAD]

Oh yeah long story short, it looks like a nice bass Russell.

Always play before you buy though, I was in love with Alembics for years until I finally had the guts to ask the guy at Guitar Center to take one down for me... played it for 5 minutes and never so much as looked at one again. :Smug:

 

[En Vind Av Sorg]

Active electronics also probably mean you need to put an insanely gay 9V battery in your instrument that's sure to run out just when you're about to perform in front of 10 000 people.

I HATE Active's (especially EMG's) with a passion. Death to internal power source electronic guitars.

 

[Krilons Resa]

Also remember that (at least on most guitars I think) batteries will drain if you leave the cable plugged into the guitar. This was the biggest factor in me deciding that active electronics will never have a place in my guitar; I'm too fucking lazy and I leave the cable in all the time. The main thing I wanted in my guitar was basically for it to be as maintenance-free as possible. Hence: hardtail bridge, passive electronics. Hooray for simplicity.

Yep, same shit happened to me when I first bough tmy ESP bass. Took me a while to figure out what the fuck was going on. I used to get pissed! Aren't the 9v batteries almost exclusively for the active pickups and have nothing to do with the frequency knobs? Anyways, I got an ESP F204 for a measly 350 when the list was 700. Not bad imo plus the fucker romps! Spector's are the shiznit as well. If you stick to it and decide you love it, when you get more experienced, you're gonna drool over a Warwick.

 

[NAD]

If you stick to it and decide you love it, when you get more experienced, you're gonna drool over a Warwick.

Yep, until you try and sit down to play and the headstock slams straight into the ground. They are gorgeous and sound great though.

 

[Krilons Resa]

Yep, until you try and sit down to play and the headstock slams straight into the ground. They are gorgeous and sound great though.

LMFAO! Def top-heavy. Speaking of heavy....DO NOT purchase a B.C. Rich, I dont care how fucking metal they look!